Dinner on the waterfront, then a casino room: Tidewater Lanes
Tidewater Lanes sits where Wharf Street meets Wallis Lake, inside a weatherboard net loft that spent decades drying trawler nets before the tables went in. Five felt-topped tables, a house dealer who keeps the shoe honest, and a tea counter for something warm between hands. Nothing here runs online — five hundred, euchre and crib are dealt at this address only, chips for points, never cash.
A working street rarely leaves a building empty for long
Five card tables fill the floor at 14 Wharf Street now, inside a building that spent far longer mending fishing nets than it has dealing cards. The rafters still carry the marks where cork floats hung two at a time, back when the trawler fleet worked Wallis Lake.
Wharf Street has never been a quiet address. A chandlery once stood two doors down, a fishmonger's cool room across the road kept its shutters open till dark, and this net loft sat between them, mending gear that came off the boats each morning. One neighbour is a surf shop now, another a café that opens for breakfast only — the loft is the one that still runs after dark.
House staff deal every table here — nobody brings their own pack, and nobody logs in from home to join a hand. There's no app, no stream and no second location; if a table's open at Tidewater Lanes, the room is exactly where anyone would expect to find it, on Wharf Street.
A small counter at the back keeps the room going between hands — tea, coffee, a jug of something cold on a warm night, poured by staff rather than self-served. Nobody comes to Tidewater Lanes for a meal; the kitchen was never rebuilt. Adults only, eighteen and over, every night the doors are open.
The street
A chandlery and a fishmonger once stood either side; the loft outlasted both.
The building
Timber walls, tin roof, cork-float marks still on the rafters.
The tables
Five felt tops, one house dealer, chips that only ever count points.
The counter
Tea, coffee and something cold, poured between hands.
What the wharf kitchen's cooking
The kitchen at Tidewater Lanes runs independently of the tables — a short menu, cooked fresh each evening by the wharf.
For dinner: seafood chowder, then a roast lamb plate.
For dessert, sticky date pudding. A dinner-only table is a separate booking from the cards.
Seafood chowder
To start.
Roast lamb
With seasonal vegetables.
Sticky date pudding
With butterscotch sauce.
What people ask before they come in
What should I bring on a first visit?
Just photo ID for the door check — that's the only requirement for a first hand at Tidewater Lanes.
Where should I sit if I don't know anyone?
Tell the house dealer it's a first visit and they'll point you to whichever table has an open seat and a game worth learning.
Do I need to book a table in advance?
Walk-ins are welcome most nights; for a full table on a Saturday, ringing ahead helps the room plan.
What if I've never played five hundred or crib before?
Say so at the door — the house dealer will walk you through the first hand before play begins.
Is there anywhere to get a hot drink before I sit down?
Yes — the counter pours tea and coffee from the moment the doors open at six.
In this casino room, nobody deals their own hand
The room holds five tables under low light, felt worn soft at the corners from years of Wednesday nights. Regulars claim the table nearest the window; everyone else takes whatever seat is free.
A house dealer runs each table, keeping the shoe honest and the pace even — nobody deals their own hand, and nobody is asked to.
Games rotate through the week: five hundred, euchre, crib, canasta, bridge and friendly poker with no buy-in, so there's always a table for whoever walks through the door.
Five tables
Felt-topped, numbered, one dealer per table.
House dealer
Shuffles, deals and keeps score so nobody has to.
Six games
Five hundred through to friendly poker, no buy-in required.
What Tidewater Lanes expects from everyone at the table
- Eighteen and over only, no exceptions — bring photo ID and expect to be asked for it at the door.
- Every game runs for points; chips never change hands for cash and never leave the building.
- No online play, no app and no livestream — five hundred, euchre and crib are played here or nowhere.
- The house dealer's call is final at every table, from the cut of the cards to a disputed trick.
- Seats are first come, first served; a table fills before a new one opens for the evening.
- Phones stay on silent at the felt — step outside for a call so the table can keep its rhythm.
- Tea and coffee are poured at the counter, not carried to the tables mid-hand.
- A seat left empty through a full round may be offered to someone waiting.
The same evening, every open night
Tidewater Lanes, room by room
Down at the water end of Wharf Street
Address
14 Wharf Street, Forster NSW 2428
Phone & email
+61 2 6554 8362 · info@tidewaterlanes.com
Hours
Wednesday to Sunday, 6 pm – 1 am
Four stages, one evening at Tidewater Lanes
Nothing about a night here is complicated — it moves the same way every time, from the door to the cage, and the order rarely changes.
Pull up a chair at Tidewater Lanes this week
Five tables, a house dealer and a tea counter are open Wednesday to Sunday — walk in, show ID and find a seat; nothing here needs a booking or an app.
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